Weary Warlock
by Eressie
Summary: What troubles will a warlock bereft from sleep get into?
1. Chapter 1

**Weary Warlock**

Summary: What troubles will a warlock bereaved from sleep get into?

By: Eressie

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Chapter One

Queen Guinevere laid at bed-rest, eight months pregnant and deeply consumed by her book that she was balancing on her huge belly. It had been a somewhat troublesome pregnancy and it was taking its toll on her body. She was very tired and sore nowadays and wished nothing but not be pregnant anymore. She wanted to have her little baby out as soon as possible, but the healers wanted her to try to keep the baby in for a long time yet. The pregnancy was not yet full term and trying to avoid a premature birth; the queen was put to bed-rest. At first, she loved it, for like a few hours and then she became restless. But she knew that taking it easy would be best for the baby, so she stayed put. She occupied herself with books and needlework for most of her waking hours.  
She was startled by the sudden knock on the door. She marked the page she was on and closed the book and put it aside. She then turned her head towards the door and put her hands clasped on the cover that lay over her.

"Enter." she said and tried to sit up more. She smiled when she saw who it was. "Merlin!"

"The one and only." Merlin said with a smile that quickly transformed into a frown when he saw that the queen moved around on the bed. "Gwen, you should take it easy!" he exclaimed and closed the door behind him.

Guinevere groaned. "I _am_ taking it easy! I am in bed, am I not?" she said, now sitting up quite uncomfortable.

"Here, let me help." Merlin said and without waiting for Gwen to trying refuse his help, he gathered up more pillows from the wardrobe and placed them behind and around the queen.

Now she could lean back comfortable against the pillows and the headboard of the bed, feeling a lot more relaxed. She sighed in relief and smiled at Merlin. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Merlin smiled back and to Guinevere's surprise, the warlock sat down and then stretched out on Arthur's side of the bed and let out a pleased groan when he heard the bones in his spine and shoulders crack.

Gwen smirked and looked down on him. "What got you so tired then? It's only noon. Did you rise very early this morning?"

Merlin shook his head and raised his arm and pointed his index finger to the roof. "Yes, I did get up very early- "he said, "yesterday morning. I haven't gone to sleep yet. And I'm not tired by the way, I'm just stretching my back; it's been a long day."

"Pardon me?" Gwen looked shocked. "How are you not dead on your feet?"

Merlin rolled over to his side and leaned his head against his right hand. "Don't really know, to be honest. But I feel fine!" he said and touched his messy, dark hair with his free hand.

"Right." Guinevere nodded and looked at him with doubt in her eyes. "You must sleep, Merlin." she said concerned.

"I will," Merlin nodded, "later." he finished with a smile. "Actually, I-"

But he never got to finish his sentence because the door opened again and King Arthur entered the room. He froze in the doorway as he spotted his wife and Court sorcerer lying in bed together, obviously having a very cosy time.

"What!?" he exclaimed and slammed the door behind him. "My wife and best friend, how could you?"

"You could have knocked." Merlin said with a grin.

"I'm devastated!" Arthur exclaimed trying to sound upset. "I feel so betrayed! Don't you care about my feelings?"

Merlin laid back down on his back and stretched again, one arm behind his head. "Not one bit." he said as Guinevere laughed.

"Rude." Arthur said, not bothering with trying to be distraught anymore and took off his crown. He walked up to where the two laid and put the crown on the little drawer by the side of the bed. He crossed his arms and looked down on the two most important people in his life. "And where am I supposed to sleep, with you here?"

Merlin raised an eyebrow and looked up at his king. "It's noon," he said, "it's not time for you to sleep for a long while yet! Go do some kingly stuff somewhere." he said and waived his hand at Arthur.

"And what about you," smiled the king, "aren't you supposed to do some magic somewhere, oh great Court sorcerer?"

"I am!" Merlin protested. "Or…well, not performing magic exactly, but I'm testing out a new potion. Potion making comes with the job. Well, now it does anyway."

"Oh?"

"Yes, and I was just about to tell Gwen about it when you so _rudely_ came barging in-"

"It's MY chambers!" Arthur exclaimed and rolled his eyes.

Merlin ignored him and sat up and crossed his legs. "I'm testing a new potion, as I was saying and-"

"On yourself?" Guinevere interrupted him with her eyebrow raised. "What have I told you about drinking mysterious potions? And so soon after-"

"I know! But, listen-" Merlin said sounding impatient. "_This_ potion is doing what I _wanted_ it to! Well... kind of."

Arthur sat down on his bed in front of the warlock. "And what is that?" he asked carefully, wondering if he really wanted to know to answer.

"It's harmless. I promise." Merlin said and held up his hand. "I made a potion that will keep you awake!"

The other two frowned at him. "How is that a good thing?" Gwen asked and stroked her big belly.

Merlin chuckled. "You won't _believe_ how much work I've gotten done by not sleeping!" he said. "I even refurnished my chambers- twice!"

Arthur smirked. "How is that work?"

"The latter wasn't work exactly, I just felt like it and I didn't like how it turned out the first time! But I bet I can work more efficient now when everything is in its proper place."

The king rubbed his forehead with his hand. "It's not like you sleep much anyway, pulling an all-nighter every now and again, why would you make this potion?" Arthur sighed.

"Why not?" Merlin shrugged his shoulders and chuckled.

"Right… and for how long does this potion last exactly?"

Merlin shrugged again. "I don't know, this is the first test. I've only been awake thirty-one hours so far, and this not the first time _that_ happens. So maybe the potion doesn't work. I'm not entirely sure yet."

Arthur frowned. "Thirty-what? How long are you planning to go without sleep for?"

Merlin stood up. "Well, it's was actually supposed to be a potion that would make you less sleepy. But instead, it rather works so that you won't or want to sleep at all." He clapped his hands together with a smile. "So, let's find out how long this last, shall we?" he chuckled and waived at them as he went out from their room before the royals could say anything else.

Arthur and Guinevere looked at each other. "This does not bode well."

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Author's note: It's a start, more is to come! With longer chapters. So, what do you people think? What do you think will happen?

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	2. Chapter 2

**Weary Warlock**

Summary: What troubles will a warlock bereft from sleep get into?

By: Eressie

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Chapter two

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After three days of no sleep, Merlin had difficulties to know if he actually were awake at times or not. Everything was becoming a bit of a blur. But according to his journal where he wrote down everything that could be important to know, he had evidence that he actually had been awake all this time.

"Hmm…" he mumbled to himself and bit his lower lip, "eighty-one hours awake." And so, he wrote that down. Right below another important note that read. "Potatoes."

Merlin nodded with a thoughtful expression. "Potatoes…" he mumbled again. He could not remember why he had written that word. But he kept it in, could be significant.

The tallest tower of Camelot's castle had become Merlin's chambers when he became Court Sorcerer. Many had said that it was a miracle that it remained standing during and after The Great Purge, and that King Uther didn't give order that it was to be taken down. The horrible king _did_ give order to tear it down however (the people did not know that though) but no one could. It was impossible to even remove the tiniest of stone from the tower.  
Merlin found out when he was gifted the tower by Arthur, that it wasn't miracles that was involved with the tower like everyone said; it was magic. Apparently, the sorcerers before him who lived and worked in the tower had preserved it with magic and everything within it. Even the entrance. A strong and ancient magic now protected the tower, that no sorcerer could ever break. Not even if their very lives depended on it, as many sorcerers found out before Uther killed them.

King Uther had sealed of the door with a huge boulder and chains, so nobody could enter the tower. But all that stuff had not been necessary, because he had made the last sorcerer who lived there seal the door so no one ever could enter again. The sorcerer only did this because he was told that his life would be spared if he did as he was told, but in the end; King Uther had had him executed anyway.  
Arthur knew all this when he gave the tower to Merlin. The king had had the boulder and chains removed, and they tried to open the door just in case, but they already knew that their attempts would be pointless. So, when Arthur had presented Merlin with the largest present he ever had gotten in his live, the warlock was overjoyed! But, Arthur had said, there was a catch or two rather. First, Merlin had to become Arthur's Court sorcerer and second was that he must find out a way to actually open the door. Merlin, of course, agreed on this… after some persuasion.

Merlin's first attempt to open the door was as simple as just trying the door handle. And Arthur first thought that it would open for Merlin just as easily as if he would open any unlocked door. Just because, it was _Merlin_.  
But, alas, this was not the case. The door remained shut, even after Merlin tried to push it open with his shoulder. That resulted in nothing but bruises on Merlin and a good laugh from Arthur.  
After three days, Merlin still hadn't gotten the door to open no matter what spell he used. This had made Merlin quite irritated and, in the end, he had thrown his spell book at the door and then he had shouted. _'Blasted door, __please__ just open already!'_

And then it opened, and Merlin was left standing in his place for several minutes, mouth agape.

Later when Arthur asked how the hell he had managed to open the door, Merlin had laughed. _'The last owner had humour, that's for sure.' _the warlock had said_, 'Obviously, to open the door, I had to say the magic word.'  
_  
_'Which was?'_

_'Please.'_

The please-part was only half true off course. Since the tower had been sealed off for so long it had almost forgotten how to unseal itself. But the tower was magic and when Magic himself was knocking on its door, the tower gladly opened itself up to their new owner. Although the tower sure took its sweet time to realise who was outside its entrance.  
Ever since then, Merlin had no trouble getting into his own chambers but the tower was still kind of picky who it let in to visit Merlin, and not even a handful of people was able to get into the chambers if Merlin wasn't there at all. The lucky few where: Arthur, Leon, sometimes Gwen and sometimes Gwaine; _if_ the tower were feeling extra cheerful that particular day.

Now in present time, Merlin sat at one of his desks; writing important notes and concentrated very hard. This desk was covered in books, parchments and ink, along with some dirty dishes. In this room, all along the walls were bookshelves after bookshelves, overfilled with books. And not just the desk had books all over, the windowsills were used to store books as well. In fact, most places in this room touched at least one book at all times. And in the middle of this room filled with words, stood a desk and a chair. And beside the desk stood a small fireplace, that Merlin had enchanted so that nothing but firewood could enter. He still mourned half the book that was sacrificed before he came up with that spell. This was only one of his rooms of course.

The first room you enter, after climbing the long stairs naturally, was the area where he do most of his potions and experiments. This room was the largest and it too had some bookshelves but not with nearly as many books as the other room. The fireplace was located in the middle, like a campfire but built-in and made of stone.  
A cauldron hangs over it, containing a purple simmering liquid. Every now and again it would release a bright, yellow bubble that ascended slowly upwards towards the very high ceiling.  
The desk in this room was the bearer of many different containers and bottles. Cutting boards and knifes. Jars and pots with strange labeling. Some herbs and plants stood there as well, but most of the living things could be located in the windows.  
There were two smaller doors in this room as well that lead to two rooms that Merlin used as storage. On the doors hung warning signs that said that no one should enter, especially not Gwaine, written by Merlin.

This room also had a door which had stairs that lead to the upper floor to Merlin's bedroom. It was quite a big room with a large comfortable bed. It was the messiest room of all the rooms, it had things and books and clothing all over the floors and furniture. Half the bed was also covered in things and books, the other part of the bed is were Merlin usually sleeps but he hadn't touched the bed in days. The bedroom had a balcony door and, on the balcony, there were an outside stair that lead to the roof. In the bedroom there also were a second door that lead to the astronomy room. This room had huge windows and part of the ceiling were also glass. In here Merlin studied the stars. Map after maps of the stars hung on the parts of the walls that weren't see-through.

Merlin bit his quill absentminded as he stared at the word 'potatoes' again but started coughing as he got the feather too far back in his mouth.

"Did you get hungry while you were writing?" a voice interrupted his coughing and important note-taking.

Merlin looked around for the owner of the voice. "Gwaine?" but he saw no one.

"Down here, Merlin." the voice came again, and now Merlin realised that it came from below his desk. He looked down and saw a black cat with white markings on its face sitting by his feet.

"Hello." Merlin said.

"Hello, to you." said Gwaine's voice from the cat.

Merlin frowned. "Since when have you been a cat, Gwaine? Oh, no did I turn you into a cat somehow?"

"I think I've always been a cat." came the answer.

Merlin frowned ever deeper. "Are you sure that you're Gwaine? The last time I saw him I could swear that he was human."

"If I sound like Gwaine, I must be him." purred the cat.

Merlin's frown lessened and he nodded in understanding. "True." he said after a while, and rubbed his forehead with his left hand so that he got ink on his temple. "Sorry, it must have slipped my mind."

"All is well!" said Gwaine the cat. "All except you, perhaps."

Merlin got up and walked over to his mirror that hang on the wall on the other side of the room. He looked at himself and put his right hand to his face. "I look the same as I always does." he scrunched his face when he saw that he had ink on his face and tried to clean it away with his sleeve.

"Mhm?" said the cat and licked his paw. "Or perhaps not. You look like you need a drink."

"Of course all you think is about drinking, as always." Merlin said and rolled his eyes.

"Come along!" the cat said and stood up on his four feet with the tail tall. "Let's go to the tavern!"

Merlin frowned. "Tavern..." he mumbled and looked at the cat, who let out a meow. The warlock sighed and raised his head slightly. "All right, you not?" he shrugged. "Maybe that will cure my dazed brain." he said and began walking towards the door that lead out from his chambers.

Cat-Gwaine laughed. Merlin was not quite sure if cats could laugh, but this one could do that apparently. "Maybe," began the cat, "you should put some proper clothes on first?"

Merlin widened his eyes and looked down. He was just wearing a long shirt that reached his knees. When had he taken his trousers off? He shrugged and got dressed and then followed the cat down the long stairs. Or well, it used to be long anyway. To Merlin, it took them less than a minute to get down from the tower where his chambers were.

"Odd." Merlin said and pouted his lips but accepted it. The cat had gotten a bit ahead and it now stood and waited on the warlock further down the hallway. "I'm coming!" Merlin with a loud voice and started to walk towards his friend.

A servant lady, who happened to be close by, turned to him and then looked around. "Um, excuse me, sir, but where you talking to me?" she asked.

"Ah," Merlin said and shook his head, "No, Ida, I'm sorry if I were too loud." He said with a smile, and pointed down the hallway at the cat who was sitting down now and waived his black tail around in the air. "I was just talking to the cat. Cat-Gwaine, you know. I better follow him; you know how impatient he can be. See you late, yeah? Bye for now." he said with a wave as he rushed forward.

Ida stood still and looked after the Court Sorcerer with a puzzled frown. "Um, what cat?" she asked but Merlin was already so far away from Ida that he could not hear her.

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When he got outside with the cat at his side he got surprised when the sun stood quite high in the sky. Wasn't it dark outside just moments ago? Or had he just imagined that. "What time is it, Gwaine?" Merlin asked.

"Two hours after noon, my friend." the cat answered as they walked, "or just morning, I guess."

Merlin laughed. "Of course, it is, Gwaine, for you! That's why we're going to The Rising Sun then? Liquid breakfast."

The cat smirked and ran the rest of the way to the tavern so that Merlin lost sight of him, but the warlock knew the way. He smiled at the people he passed and most of them smiled or waived back at him. "I hope Arthur doesn't find out where I am today. Or it will be like the old times, although this time, I will _actually_ be at the tavern." he smirked to himself and an old man who thought that Merlin was talking to him, gave the warlock a strange look.

Bill, who owned The Rising Sun, was surprised when Merlin walked in. "Hello, Merlin," he said with an apologetic smile, "Actually, Gwaine isn't here if you're looking for him."

Merlin raised an eyebrow. "Really? We were supposed to go here and…" he looked around and his eyes lit up, "Ah, there!" he exclaimed and pointed to the cat who sat in the corner of the bar disk. "There he is!"

Bill frowned and looked toward where Merlin was pointing. "Um, there is no-one there, my boy." he said and turned back towards Merlin. "Are you all right?"

Merlin laughed. "Are you trying to fool me?" he asked as he sat down beside the Gwaine-cat. "This is Gwaine." he said and pointed to the empty seat beside him.

Bill saw Merlin's eyes shine golden for a moment and he was about to point that out when he suddenly saw Gwaine sitting beside Merlin with a broad smile. "Oh, I'm sorry, Gwaine! I didn't see you there for a second. The usual then?" he asked and started pouring mead for the knight and for Merlin as well.

The warlock giggled. "You're human again, Gwaine!"

The now human Gwaine laughed as he lifted his drink towards Merlin. "I've always been human, Merlin."

Merlin laughed. "Right, how could I forget! Silly me!" he replied as he raised his drink to Gwaine's. "Cheers!"

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Author's Note: Obviously, I'm not making fun of anyone with a sleeping disorder or anything like that. Also, I'm not saying anyone deprived of sleep get like this. Merlin has taken a potion that forces him to stay awake and since he got magic, everything gets a bit extreme.

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And now for some facts:  
According to a 2010 review, the current world record for a person going without sleep is 266 hours, which equates to just over 11 days.  
In 1964 the most famous sleep deprivation experiment took place. A student named Randy Gardner, stayed awake for 264 hours. At the end of the 11 days, Gardner became paranoid and started hallucinating.  
After the experiment, he recovered without any long-term physical or psychological effects.

General symptoms of sleep deprivation can be: memory difficulties, reduced coordination, mood swings, increased appetite, fatigue and sleepiness during the day, having trouble concentrating etc.

Some effects of going without sleep for 24 hours without sleep can be: concentration problems, short-term memory problems, raised levels of stress hormones, irritability, such as cortisol and adrenaline, a higher risk of accidents, muscle tension, impaired judgement, increased blood sugar levels etc.

The symptoms gets worse at 48 hours without sleep. And at this point, the brain will start entering brief periods of complete unconsciousness, also known as microsleep. This occurs unintentionally and can last for several seconds.

72 hours without sleep, deprivation symptoms and fatigue will intensify even further.  
Some effects of this are: extreme fatigue, difficulty multitasking, severe concentration and memory issues, paranoia, depressed mood and difficulty communicating with others.

Source for the sleep deprivation experiment: www medicalnewstoday com /articles /324799 php


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